Leaving Cameroon

Welp, I didnt finish up my service very well re: blogging. My computer died last year around december and it made it much more difficult to do. Even emails I didnt do a great job with, same deal. I havent forgotten about anyone and I cant wait to see everyone when i get back to the states. Ill arrive June 9th but wont be around CT til the 15th (bonnaroooooo). When i get back ill have a phone and I will see everybody over the summer while im looking for jobs. that reminds me anyone who has a job, let me know ill send in my resume. ill do almost anything. see you all in a few weeks!

Waterfalls and Pickpockets

Hey guys...sorry for the long wait. I've been busy and since my computer has died I'm finding even harder than before to get updates up. Despite possible rumors I am in fact alive and well. I've had an interesting few months. First, as you've seen dad came in mid December to visit and stayed for Christmas. It was fun having him here, hearing his first impressions and showing him how I live here. We stayed a little poche for a bit in the tourist sites but then went to village. Even Cameroonians are surprised that my dad came out to post and took a 1.5 hr moto ride back to Dschang. I'm glad he came, its nice to be able to say names of towns and people and have him know what I'm talking about.

We had a meeting at my post a few weeks ago and went to a waterfall by my post, but since I'm running out of time and I'm lazy Ill refer you to my friends blog who went, he describe it pretty well: http://jimeroon.blogspot.com

Finally Ill tell you about one of the worst days I've had in country, and of course it involves travelling. I took a small car from Dschang to Bafoussam (1hr) to take a car from there to Yaounde (3-4 hrs) because its faster than going straight from Dschang. I was wearing mesh shorts because the previous day I'd walked from my post to Dschang (about 45km or 28 miles) and was sore as s***. Getting out of the car I paid the driver, then followed a friend I'd made in the car also going to Yaounde. Two guys bumped into me for an unusually long time, and i was suspicious and checked my bag but there were no hands there (turns out wallet was in my pocket). Only after I'd gotten on a car to Yaounde and police came to give our new driver crap for staying on the side of the road too long did I check to make sure I had my id and realized my wallet was missing. I shouted explitives and threw my bag against the window getting everyones attention. I explained what had happened and finally the people inside the car convinced one of the police officers to help me try to get my wallet. My friend took his wife and child off the bus and said he would help me. As we were walking back to the spot where it happened the police officer told us to walk seperately so they wouldnt know he was with us. I never saw him again. My friend talked to some people who had seen it happen (turns out there were about 10 witnesses) and there were some guys who offered to go get the wallet. 2 hrs later they came back with the wallet, missing the 50000cfa (about 100 dollars) that was inside. I was relieved to have my id and bank card and immediately went to the bank and refilled my wallet. The guy was so nice he paid the guys 5000 for finding the wallet for me and was going to pay for my transport to yaounde. I paid him back and have talked to him a few times since. Then i got in a bush taxi with a crazy driver who tried to blow through a police stop, they blew one of our tires, i jumped out the window when he stopped, it was scary. unfortunately im out of time. hope everyones good, see you in a few months
brad

Christmas in Cameroon

This post is from Brad's father, Brad Melius, Sr. I spent 13 days with Brad around Christmas (December 15-27) traveling around Cameroon - Kribi, Limbe, Dschang and Brad's post in Menji. The trip was amazing, thought-provoking, humbling and altogether wonderful. Here are my observations:

I would describe Cameroonians as friendly, sometimes aggressive, extremely self-interested (though understandably so) and kind to others in need in a way you don't see any more in the US. The country is naturally beautiful, the infrastructure limited but improving, and the towns and villages very dirty by American or European standards. On the other hand, there is much, much less waste of resources than in developed Western countries. During my trip, I happened to be reading Tom Friedman's most recent book about climate change, and the contrast -between, for example, piling seven people into a Toyota Corolla taxi vs. Americans driving to work alone in SUVs - is quite obvious and stark.

I also had the opportunity to meet several of Brad's fellow Peace Corps Volunteers during the trip. I found PCVs to be dedicated, hard working people who have adapted to a very different environment and culture more easily than they realize. I also found them to be sometimes frustrated by an inability to discern their palpable impact on a daily or even weekly or monthly basis. My advice to them, to use a sailing metaphor, would be as follows: If your goal is to change the wind, you may well be disappointed and frustrated. A more workable objective is to try to reposition your sail, and perhaps the sails of a few others along the way. Having said that, my admiration for PCVs is extreme. I certainly lack the combination of guts, perseverance, patience and sheer determination needed to be a volunteer, as I think do most people I know.

Christmas in Cameroon was delightfully subdued. Brad and I attended Mass at the Catholic church in Menji and stopped at his neighbor's house for lunch. Brad and Marcellius then prepared a feast that included both American and Cameroonian fare. The cornbread was particularly delicious. I saw no Christmas trees (save for the blow-up tree sent to Brad from the States), very few lights, no presents being exchanged. However, people gathered in the village on both Christmas Eve and Christmas night to celebrate the holiday, wishing each other a "Happy Christmas," or simply "Happy, happy." It reminded me of Dr. Seuss's How the Grinch Stole Christmas: "It came without ribbons! It came without tags! It came without packages, boxes or bags!"

The most obvious evidence of the holiday was how well dressed people were in the village, particularly at Mass. Most really took pride in their appearance, and seemed to enjoy wearing a nice suit or dress.

This leads me to a Cameroon Christmas story. Marcellius, Brad's dear friend and a great guy with a ready smile and wonderful sense of humor, owns a small clothing shop in Menji. About 9 pm on Christmas Eve, as he sat down for a beer with Brad and me, Marcellius's cell phone rang. It was one of his customers, a young girl for whom he had set aside a dress on layaway. She wanted desperately to wear the dress for Christmas, and asked Marcellius if she could pick it up despite not having paid the full purchase price. After consulting Brad momentarily, Marcellius agreed to the arrangement, scratched out a formal IOU, and reopened his shop so the girl could pick up her dress before the big day.

Welcome, Christmas, where we stand

Heart to heart, ... and hand in hand.

I want to thank Brad for escorting me around an extremely foreign land and giving me a glimpse at his experience in Cameroon that I would never have gleaned from pictures, emails, phone calls or stories.

Above are a few pictures from the trip. One is taken from inside a bush taxi, others are mostly from Christmas day at Brad's house. Those in the group photo are (left to right) Marcellius, Brad, me, Marcellius's mom, and Bertrand. Plucking chicken feathers was a first for me. Introducing Cameroonian kids to baseball was one of many experiences I will never forget.

Happy New Year to all

Brad Sr.

American Culture in Cameroon

Hey everyone. There were two occasions in Cameroon I wanted to tell you about they were really cool. The first one was a cultural festival in Batibo in the northwest province. A few volunteers there put together a joint American/Cameroonian cultural festival. There were tables with themes like HIV/Aids, studying in the US, games for kids (I helped with that one), agricultural info, and Cameroonians set up tables for the different tribes, and various other things (I didn’t get around to a lot of them because I was working with the kids). Then they had a stage set up where Americans performed American songs and dance (hip hop dance was especially entertaining) and Cameroonian tribes did their traditional dances. After we ate a mix of Cameroonian and American food. There was supposed to be a concert that night but most people were too tired, me and about 7 other ppl made it to the place which was good because no one told the people there it was cancelled. We danced, one volunteer sang "no woman no cry" while we swayed and clapped in the background, it turned out alright. That was a long day.
The next weekend was Thanksgiving, and I decided to stay at post and invite some of my students to have a dinner at my house. We had 2 chickens (I killed my first chicken!), mashed potatoes, stove top, green beans and corn bread (corn bread was just ok but it all got eaten). We all said what we were thankful for, it was really nice. One student said he was happy that I wanted to share all this with "small people" because being a teacher I'm sort of a big man and big men usually hang with big men. One thing I'm trying to show them is that everyone is the same, so I was happy they noticed. Overall I've had some good cultural mixing lately.
I just had a friend visit who is leaving this week, it was really strange to talk to her. Whether its because 2 year sounded like such a long time or it was a defense mechanism, I never really imagined how it would be coming home. I thought about how nice it would be to see everyone and get a pizza delivered to my house, but not about actually living there all the time. It sounds pretty awesome. I've decided to come back to the US for at least a year, live in NYC hopefully and get a job or internship, then either go to grad school or something else in 2010. Ill be home in June or July of next year, and the time is flying. Ill see you all soon!
brad

Also I'm sorry I haven’t been returning emails lately…I haven’t forgotten about anyone its just been hard to keep up with it lately. I can't lie I don’t expect it to change but Ill be home soon!

Gobama!

Hey everyone! Great job electing Obama! I was lucky enough to be in the capital (Yaounde) for something else and got to witness the entire night on CNN with 20 other Americans. I celebrated by buying redbull knockoffs, fritos, beans and cheese. Yup, we found fritos! While we ate and drank we played trivial pursuit, talked about what we all had to do if McCain won (what I had to do is inappropriate for the blog, ill tell you if you ask and are not my parents or grandparents), and ran inside whenever cheers or boos erupted from the crowd watching tv (Obama or McCain respectively winning a state). When CNN finally called the election at about 3am (or was it 4? I don’t remember) dance parties began during commercial breaks, and we all hunkered down to listen to McCain and Obama's speeches. I dont know how people in the US were feeling but we were all inspired by Obama's speech. My eyes got a little watery..maybe some of it had to do with how tired I was. By the time it was over it was light outside and we went out for beans and beneits (not sure the spelling, but basically small oily doughnuts. you'd be surprised how good beans are for breakfast). People were on their way to work etc. and were all congratulating us on electing Obama. It was really nice to get OBAMA with a thumbs up rather than "le blanc" or any of the other names they have for us (the girls got Mdm. Obama which they much prefer to Mdm. Sarkozy). I have since returned to post and am in good spirits. I am almost at my six months left mark! The last six months have flown by I'm sure the next will do the same. There will be definite mixed feelings about leaving. Anyway hope everyones doing well, and again good job with the election.
Brad

Almost Dry Season!

Hello! Dear friends, family, strangers, all protocol respected…how are things (the usual Cameroonian introduction lists 5-10 special people who are in attendance before beginning). I shouldn’t even say it anymore but sorry for not writing enough, it's difficult to muster up the energy when I feel like I'm so far behind. It is 9p.m., my usual bedtime, and I am wired. I was expecting a call from the manager of a bike tour company in Paris, I am hoping to work there next summer (everyone should comment on how I would be a great tour guide in case he reads this). Alas, he was busy today and couldn’t call so I'm winding down the day with a blog and a lollipop. Time has started to fly and I'm worried it will be June before I know it. I'm not sure what I'm doing after Peace Corps. I know, Ill lay out my situation and you can all give me suggestions. Here is my deal: First, I know I don’t want to be a doctor or a lawyer. I know that whatever I want to do as a career will require more schooling but I'm not sure what that is and its difficult (but not impossible) to apply from here. I could choose something I might be interested in like International Relations but unlike the sciences (which I'm not so sure I'm meant for anymore) its not paid for which means more debt. My plan is to delay grad school at least another year so I can properly research programs. Meanwhile I'd like to travel more, preferably to France or China. I don’t know why China appeals to me, but I loved Paris when I was there and would like to improve my French. If anyone knows any way I can go there while not going into debt please let me know. As far as a career choice goes, I'd like to be able to travel and somewhat choose my own schedule. Being a consultant or working for a think tank both sound like things I would be interested in but I don’t know what exactly to do to get there. Any advice is appreciated. Anyway I still have 8 months to go, but since the only training group here longer than us is about to leave in December I'm feeling the pressure.

I am very excited for the next few months. I am finally feeling at home so much here it doesn’t feel like im anywhere anymore, I'm just here. I am enjoying teaching my classes, hanging with friends and my alone time. Every once in a while I get frustrated with my situation or bored but far less frequently than last year and not as badly. I also have some guaranteed good times coming up. I am going to Yaoundé in November and will be there on election night on which I don’t plan on sleeping. You guys aren’t letting Obama lose right? I was serious about not coming back if he does. John McCain is alright (actually he's right-center...oh! I almost deleted this it's corny I no but better than no joke no?) I won't be too upset however it turns out. In December I have IST (a week on the beach with a bunch of volunteers) then my dads coming in December. Toss a few other small events in there (searching for elephants??) and time will continue to fly till I leave. I'm thinking about building a sty and raising a pig to eat at my send-off party in May. The only problem is it's expensive. I may get a goat and some chickens instead. Anyone reading this is invited it's gonna be the biggest party my town has ever seen.

I am really struggling as far as blogging goes. I'm not sure what to write about anymore besides telling you guys I'm okay. If anyone wants to know anything, please leave it in a comment I will address it for sure. Thanks to everyone who wished me a happy birthday, I had a good birthday and I'm sorry I didn’t respond to everyone but I appreciated the thoughts. I will try to get to everyone in time. If I have ignored an email of yours please its not on purpose and send me an email "beep" (just tell me to email you back and say whats up). I'm going to do better starting…now. Until next time…

brad

Hey Look! I Updated!

I was just about to start typing a blog when the power went out. I thought for a second I just wasn’t meant to write yet but it came on a few minutes later. Sorry its been so long I know some of you have been waiting SINCE and some of you have probably given up on it and aren’t checking anymore. I had a busy summer where it was hard to get a computer and get to an internet café. I've also as always been in somewhat of a transition. At the beginning I could tell you about all the crazy and exciting things that were happening, as I was here longer those things still happened but I didn’t seem interesting enough to talk about, I wanted to talk more about more complex cultural issues and other things that would be difficult to appreciate were you not living here (I tried a bit). Now frankly theres nothing I really want to talk about, life has become pretty normal and it seems the purpose for the blog will just be to inform everyone how I'm doing and what I'm up to. Maybe itll be interesting anyhow.

I'm gonna start way back when when I went on vacation in Europe. Thanks to everyone there, I had a really good time. I put on over 10 lbs. and had some much needed R&R. It wasn’t as strange as I thought it would be going to a developed country, after a few hours I felt right back at home. I'm glad I didn’t go back to the US or I might have felt too at home. I could have transitioned back but it might have been more difficult. I dreaded getting on the plane to come back, but as it turned out coming back wasn't all that difficult. I remember coming back I only had about 8000cfa (16 dollars) in cash and I had to give my taxi driver to the bus station a bottle of wine to cover some of the taxi fare. Gotta love that you can do that. It was almost a relief to return to the pace of life here…its very hard to be late for something. I remember being in Italy rushing a shower when I was dead tired and I'd just had my camera stolen and I thought: "If I wasn’t in Florence with an appointment to see the statue of David I could just take a nap like I want to". Sounds ridiculous but I hadn’t felt that rushed/tired/obligated since I'd gone to post. After Europe I had mid-service where they test you for every possible disease you may have picked up. I was hoping I'd get something exotic sounding and easily curable but unfortunately all my tests were negative. I went back to post for a week where I met my new postmate who lives about 30 minutes from me. She is also a teacher at a high school. It has been nice to have an American somewhat closer than before…I usually don’t go a week without seeing her at least once. I traveled back with her to the training site to help with model school. If you don’t remember model school is the name of the summer classes the Peace Corps runs to prepare new teachers to teach. It was fun to see how far I've come in being used to the culture and especially in teaching. I think students have a very precise confidence detector. I enjoyed watching them cause trouble for the new teachers while I watched from the back. One time I caught eye contact with some kids talking and gave them the finger to lips "shhh" and he got his friends attention and said "Mr. Bradford said to be quiet" and they were quiet for a few minutes at least. Felt good. I enjoyed relaxing with other Americans and seeing a lot of people from my training group that came out to help. I didn’t get to travel as much as I wanted but I'll get to before I leave. After training I relaxed a bit and got ready for the school year. This year will be much better than last year. For one I know what I'm doing, know most of the teacher and how the school works. Second I got most of the classes I wanted, I'm teaching Form 1 and Form 3 Physics (Form 2 had 250 students. I took them last year and refused to do so again this year). Because another physics teacher came this year I have only those two classes for physics and I took a Form 4 maths class. (Did you know they say "maths" in british English? I'm not sure if they actually pronounce the s in Britain like they do here). My schedule is a little lighter than last year and I have Wednesdays and Fridays off. Its gonna be rough getting back to the real world, I know. On my days off I do chores, cook elaborate meals, etc. I still get bored but it is not as bad as last year. We got a new principal this year (old one retired) which I was very happy about because he was keeping the students in class from 730 all the way till 3, but I just found out yesterday hes been changed. Not sure why I've only been hearing rumours but I hope the new ones just as good. I'm trying to get my basketball court proposal in but I have to wait to have this new principal sign off on it. Lately people have been asking when I'm leaving and I feel bad saying at the end of this year. It seems too soon. It happens less often but sometimes it doesn’t seem soon enough. After hanging out with the PCVs leaving in December I've decided its not going to be easy at all to go back to the states. Those thoughts will have to wait for another time. Sorry again the update took so long, I'm not going to promise to update soon but now that I'm at post its definitely easier. Hope everyones good.

brad